"Let me get a good look at it," he said, his rugged voice irresistible. He pulled my dress up slowly so that it was above my thigh, exposing my bruised flesh. Then he took the wet cloth from the table beside him and began to clean off the scrape. His touch was gentle, tender, and careful. It made my cheeks fill with blood as I closed my eyes.

Suddenly, he grabbed my thigh and opened my legs, running his hand along my naked flesh. It gave me goose bumps.

I jerked away and slapped his arm. "What the hell are you doing? I'm not going to have sex with you."

He smiled at me as if it was the silliest question he had ever heard. "Cool down, woman. I am just checking for more cuts. You had blood on your inner thigh." He closed my legs and backed away as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "Besides, if I wanted you naked then your clothes would already be off." He walked over and threw the dirty cloth in the sink before turning on the tap and washing his hands. "Clearly, that's not my intention."

Somehow, his comment bothered me. "So what makes you think that it would be that easy to get me naked?" I questioned with my arms crossed over my chest.

He walked over to me and sat on the table, leaning in so that his lips were almost brushing mine. "I just have my way," he breathed. "That's not the point, but eventually, you'll see. I'm not trying to have sex with you, though. I'm trying to help you. Two different things."

I pulled my face away from his and laughed. "What makes you think that I'll be around long enough to see anything about you?" He clearly knew nothing about me.

He got up and walked away before stopping to look back at me. I just sat there, stiff. "Well, come on."

I stood up and pursed my lips before following him down the cream-colored hallway. He stopped in front of a closed door before opening it to allow me to pass. "You're sleeping in here tonight. Like I said, I want to help you." He stared at me for a sudden, heart-stopping second – his eyes were so brooding. Then he walked away leaving me alone in the room, feeling confused and overwhelmed.

I briefly stared at my new surroundings before rolling my eyes and taking off down the hall behind him. I grabbed his arm and yanked it, forcing him to turn around to meet my fierce gaze. I didn't expect anything from anyone and I never asked for it either. "What’s going on? I’m not staying here."

He grabbed my hand and removed it from his arm. "You said that you're having problems at your place. Sleep here tonight and if you like it maybe, we can discuss you being my roommate. I wouldn’t want you sleeping on the streets and you don’t need to go back to that club. It’s too dangerous." He ran his strong hands through his disheveled hair and smirked. "I've been thinking about renting the room out for a while now. The nights can get a little lonely..." His voice trailed off.

I grimaced. ‘Mr. Smooth talker’ had another thing coming if he so quickly assumed that I was going to just like and trust him "You better not think-"

"Don't worry, if I wanted sex from you… you would know. I already told you that," he cut me off, grinning devilishly before trudging into the living room. The defined muscles in his back flexed with each step that he took, causing me to breathe heavily.

He plopped down on the couch and threw his feet up on the glass coffee table. "If you decide that you want to rent the room then I can help you move tomorrow. I am only trying to help you. I owe it to… an old friend." His face softened as he looked up at me.

"Who said that I even want to stay here tonight and what do you mean, you owe it to a friend?" I questioned throwing my arms up in the air. I was confused. He owed a friend. It made no sense.

"Well you might not have much of a choice after tonight, and you wouldn’t understand. It’s complicated," he said truthfully. "It doesn't have to be permanent. No one deserves to live out on the streets. Save some money and then you can go as you please. I just want to help."

I sighed and turned away from him to walk back down the hallway. He was right about my situation. The thought of spending any more time sleeping on the streets made my insides cringe. It made me feel weak and helpless that I needed help.

"I just… I don’t know what to say. This isn't something that I would usually even consider.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket as it buzzed. I stared down at the message from my landlord asking me where his money was.

Swallowing, I looked back up to meet Jace’s eyes. “I’ll stay for tonight, but don’t even think about trying anything." I stopped to look back at him, eyes concerned. "I don't have any clothes to sleep in though..."

"I have clothes." He jumped up from the couch and walked past me and over to his bedroom. He came back a few minutes later with a crisp white T-shirt and a pair of black boxer briefs. The thought of them once being on his body, caused me to blush unwantedly.

I reached out and grabbed them from out of his hands. "Thanks. I guess this will have to do." I said, trying to sound as if the thought didn't bother me.

"What's your name by the way?" He stood by the door to his bedroom – the sizable bulge in his denim jeans painfully visible to my lustful gaze. Stop it, Avery!

"Avery," I whispered. “Avery Hale.” The shock of his kindness was so overwhelming that it made me lose my breath, lips trembling as I swallowed a lump in my throat.  I genuinely couldn’t believe that someone would be willing to help me out so much, it was extraordinary.

I didn’t know what it was about Jace – I had only known him for one day, after all – but I felt somewhat comfortable in his home. It was clean and tidy and the smell of fragrant vanilla that drifted through the hallway was certainly appealing. It was my favorite scent and reminded me of home.

I nodded at him before taking off down the cream hallway and shutting myself in the bathroom. I had a mosaic of different emotions running throughout my body, and it made me feel like breaking down. I knew that I had to be strong though.

I straightened up and placed my hands on my hips, exhaling as I stared at the large, exquisite shower that sat in the corner of the room – golden spout gleaming gently in the muted light of the amber bulb that hung above me.

If there was one thing that I wanted, it was a long, hot shower. I needed to scrub away that filthy creep’s perverted touch from earlier, before Jace had saved me. I hated being touched. I always had, even as a child it had been difficult for me to allow my parents to hug me - not that they ever had. The thought of that man’s greedy hands roaming over my flesh made me nauseous. I didn’t even let Caleb hold me when we weren't having sex - no cuddling, holding hands, and sensual massages. I never allowed his embrace.